• North Carolina Gov. McCrory Wants to Weed Out Unnecessary Tests for Students
• Source: Raleigh News & Observer   |   North Carolina   |   June 6, 2013
• Public school students take too many tests, Gov. Pat McCrory told education leaders Wednesday, and the state needs to figure out how to lighten the load.

• Can a City Require Citizens to Own a Gun?
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   June 6, 2013
• The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is suing the city of Nelson, Ga., over its new ordinance requiring residents to own firearms. The lawsuit's outcome could impact other places with gun mandates.
• 22 Comments

• The Legacy Costs Next Door
• BY: Dayne Walling   |   June 6, 2013
• When people leave a struggling city for its suburbs, they leave behind the costs of public services that were delivered in the past. Regional solutions are needed.
• 4 Comments

• Shelley Metzenbaum Wants You to Trust Government Again
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   June 5, 2013
• A former leader at the Office of Management and Budget hopes to use her new position to restore public confidence in government. Here's how she plans to do it.
• 4 Comments

• Calif. State Senator at Center of FBI Raid
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   June 5, 2013
• FBI agents searched offices in the Capitol on Tuesday -- the first such raid in 25 years -- serving warrants and carting away evidence in what law enforcement officials said was a corruption probe that began in Los Angeles County.

• Governments Weigh Nixing Retiree Health Benefits
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   June 5, 2013
• States and localities are considering having their retired workers buy health coverage through Obamacare's insurance exchanges instead. The move would likely save employers money but not necessarily employees.
• 1 Comments

• California Launches New Program to Revamp Parks
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   June 5, 2013
• California officials have launched a new program called Parks Forward to analyze and overhaul the state parks system. It will be led by a volunteer commission.

• Bill to Give Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants' Kids in Fla. Vetoed
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   June 5, 2013
• Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have allowed children of undocumented immigrants to get temporary Florida driver’s licenses, a decision that may bolster his standing among immigration hard-liners but could hurt him among Hispanic voters.

• Jefferson County Reaches Deal to End Biggest U.S. Municipal Bankruptcy
• Source: Bloomberg News   |   Jefferson County, Ala.   |   June 5, 2013
• Jefferson County, Alabama, reached an agreement to pay its largest creditors $1.84 billion, or 60 percent of what they’re owed.

• Violent Crime Rises for 1st Time Since 2006
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 5, 2013
• Violent crime rose in the United States in 2012 for the first time in six years, led by an increase in major crimes in large cities, according to preliminary data released Monday by the F.B.I.
• 2 Comments

• Blacks 4 Times as Likely to be Arrested for Marijuana
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 5, 2013
• Black Americans were nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested on charges of marijuana possession in 2010, even though the two groups used the drug at similar rates, according to new federal data.

• Christie Calls Special Election for Lautenberg's Senate Seat
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   June 5, 2013
• Gov. Chris Christie called for a special election in October to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Frank Lautenberg, spurring an all-out sprint for the office and drawing fire from Democrats.

• Study Ranks Best City Park Systems
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   June 5, 2013
• Minneapolis, where 94 percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, has the U.S.' best park system, according to new rankings by a national nonprofit conservation group.

• Revived NCLB Bill Gives States More Options
• Source: Huffington Post   |   Nation   |   June 5, 2013
• On Tuesday, Sen. Tom Harkin, the retiring chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released a new 1,150-page bill to update No Child Left Behind Act.

• Gun Lobbying Restricted under New Kansas Law
• Source: Sedgwick County Post   |   Kansas   |   June 5, 2013
• Gov. Sam Brownback signed legislation Friday to restrict the use of state tax dollars to promote or oppose gun control policies, a measure championed by gun-rights supporters but seen by critics as endangering free-speech rights.